You often hear the phrase “rapid reaction” or “instant reaction” when it comes to sports, especially in sports talk radio or on shows like The NFL Today where hosts have to immediately process big news.
We got us some of that on WFAN on Monday, as Carl Banks was on the air with Moose & Maggie – in the midst of talking about the Giants’ win in Seattle, no less – when word came down that the Jets had fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
“It absolutely was. When all you have to do is hold the rope, and he decides to go with an all-out blitz…the probability of a successful play there probably wasn’t high, and it was malpractice, point blank,” Banks said, when asked if the defensive call on the game-winning TD play was a fireable offense.
According to ESPN, in 251 previous plays since 2006 where an offense was 40 or more yards out, down 4 to 8 points and needing a TD, with 30 seconds or less to go – none of the defenses had ever sent six or more after the QB.
Moose put that stat out, and Maggie compounded it by noting that the Jets didn’t even technically record a pressure on Derek Carr despite eight blitzers – and Banks was flabbergasted.
“It defines Gregg Williams now for his career, because he was a respected defensive play caller. I cannot understand a brain lock or whatever it was, but you don’t call that play in that situation. Did he not know his team was winning?” Banks asked. “It makes no sense. I don’t want to pile on, though, because they made the decisions they wanted to make.”
Later in the show, New York Post and WFAN Jets insider Brian Costello came on to talk about the situation, and gave this similarly blunt synopsis:
“I think it was a no brainer…when I saw them lining up I said, ‘oh my God, he’s going to blitz,’ and when I heard Marcus Maye say what he said, I knew he could never face those players again, because they’d never believe in him again. For Marcus to say that, it meant that a lot of players in that locker room felt that way, or worse.”
Carl Banks actually talked a lot more G-Men than Gang Green, but hey, why not listen to his whole segment below?
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